Something to Consider: Are You Living by What You Believe or by What You See?

Whether they are simply choices or perhaps major decisions, the way we live our lives flows from what we believe, but a friend alerting me recently said that we first have to have something to believe in. Unfortunately, there are so many people who once had a very strong belief in a particular poem or prayer or even a song but because of tragedies, sickness or a loss of the faith they once had, really find it difficult or perhaps nearly impossible to base their everyday lives on a personal belief. Perhaps this is the major reason that so many just move from day to day by believing everything they see. They often feel that the things that they witness everyday must be just fine and then what do they decide to do, they emulate not the positive things, but the negatives that bring about a life that is doomed to fail.

Almost everyone says that they believe in certain things, but the manner in which they live their lives demonstrates something very different. Here is an example: an individual may say that they believe it is best to live his/her life without any debt. They may really believe this, but if one would look at their credit card statement, the card would indicate something very different. Another individual may say that they believe in a monogamous marriage, but they have allowed themselves to become involved with someone other than their spouse.

Here is another example: Another person may say that they believe in living a life of integrity, but their actions point to something else. What about the person who may be looking for employment? He/she may say that they really believe in networking and say that this is the critical piece of being able to find a good job, but they don’t look as though they are making an effort to really do it. Here’s the question – are you living by what you believe in?

Think about whether you see the value in your own circumstances and see if this would make a difference? This is true if the person does not try to change the real picture. Changing the real picture to one’s benefit – makes it difficult to actually live by either what they see or what they know or what they believe.

There are many whose actions may be confusing or appear contradictory if we leave it to others to guess their intentions, but if we are able to help others understand the beliefs behind one’s motives or actions, we can give them the benefit of the doubt and just build trust.

It seems that in order to really understand our beliefs, we may find that they are harmful rather than being of help to us. Perhaps we need to make some changes that align with the vision and/or the beliefs for the lives that we are attempting to live. If we are willing to examine our actions, our beliefs may continue to evolve throughout our lives.

Since our beliefs follow our life experiences, sometimes they may come in conflict with the beliefs of others. When or if this happens, it may be helpful to listen and try to understand where their disconnect is coming from. In some cases, we may really disagree and need to communicate with them. Sometimes the gap may simply be a misunderstanding and after talking it out, we find that we are not so far apart after all.

Romans 12:2, says, “Don‘t form your life around what the world says is right, why not allow God to transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. When you are able to do this, then God’s (or your higher power) will be good, pleasing and perfect.”

Responding to life’s circumstances and all that we see and think will have a huge impact on not only our mental, but our physical health.

According to Theodore Roosevelt, “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” Joel Osteen says- “I believe if you keep your faith, you keep your trust, you keep the right attitude, you’re grateful, you’ll see God open up new doors.”